Last week was National Carers Week in recognition of a special group of people who are often taken for granted.
Whether they look after our mothers and fathers, grandparents or our children – they play a very important role in any family who rely on their time, support and generous nature. At Currajong Disability Services (CDS) in Parkes they are seen as angels.

“Without carers organisations like us would struggle,” said CEO of CDS Jeff Evans. “Carers are vital and on behalf of CDS I would like to say thank you,” said Jeff. The Currajong Carers Support Group (CCSG) and Currajong Autism and Special Needs Group (CASNG) are very active and supportive in the community. “The work Kitty Dwyer and Lethe Rawson have done for CCSG and Angela Wilson for the CASNG has been incredible,” said Jeff.

Having to write an original horror script of seven pages or less within 48 hours might sound like a nightmare to many, but for former Parkes Phoenix journalist Raen Fraser it was a thrill.

Winning the top prize at the Tasmanian Gothic Short Script Challenge for Best Australian Script from over 100 entries transformed the challenge into pure joy. “I was thrilled to have been selected as Best Australian Script – I already felt like I’d won just by finishing,” said Raen, who works in communications at the Parkes Shire Council and also on a fantasy novel for teenagers.

“I have not really done horror before, it is not my usual genre.” Raen’s winning script is titled As The Crow Flies and tells the story of a mother and daughter implicated in a mystery when they realise an injured bird holds secrets about a missing child.

“The idea came up years ago when I worked for WIRES and had to deal with some aviary escapees. It turned out tame cockatoos who had escaped would teach wild birds to ‘speak’ English and you’d find talking birds out in really
remote areas.”

The annual competition, based in Tasmania, is open to writers worldwide and encourages original horror storytelling. Hosted by Stranger With My Face International Film festival, the unique event asks participants to write a new horror script with three unique prompts: a line of dialogue, a character and an object had to be incorporated into their, inspiring idiosyncratic results.

Raen said her experience as a journalist working to strict deadlines and word counts served her well in sticking to the 48-hour deadline and seven-page length. Although she has doubts that her script would ever be turned into a movie, she said the competition offered a great platform for emerging screen writers to refine their skills.

“It can be really hard to get your work out there.” While writing her first horror story brought so much reward, Raen is happy to return to her fantasy novel with the hope the end result would not be all make-believe.

By Maggi Barnard

Although the latest Parkes M & D production is about the downtrodden working life of three women, it promises not to be a drag. Featuring music and lyrics by Dolly Parton, 9 to 5 is set in the late 1970s and is a hilarious story of friendship and revenge that is thought-provoking, outrageous and even a little romantic.

“It is a relatable story and still relevant today,” said Angie Drooger who plays the role of Violet. Her co-stars are Brittani Carol as Judy and Erin O’Leary as Duralee. They work for Franklin Hart, played by Greg Ballantyne, who is a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot.

“Some of the scenes I felt right at home as it was so similar to my real life work situation,” said Angie. “But we do get up to some crazy antics like kidnapping our boss, which is probably very unusual.” According to Angie this high-energy show with lots of fun is ideal for all ages. “My three-year-old son watched the whole show.” It is rated PG.

The cast of 19, with mostly females, is a good mix of adults and students. The cast includes some new faces while the lead roles are all played by local actors cast in previous shows. The majority are from Parkes, but one came all the way from Western Australia, and three are from Forbes.

“The audience will not only relate to the story, but there are lots of good songs by Dolly Parton, including the hit theme song,” said Angie. The 9 to 5 cast and production team have once again pulled together and worked long hours to make it a true community effort.

The musical will run at the Little Theatre in Parkes from tonight until 28th October. Tickets are available online at www.parkesmandd.com.au.

By Maggi Barnard

FABULOUS FELT EXHIBITION
Artists: Cecily Walters and Toni Morrison 9th to 31st October at Parkes Library Felters and sisters, Cecily Walters and Toni Morrison have been felting for about seven years creating wearable felt items such as hats, scarves and vests, home decor items like pods and vessels, as well as felted wall art. All wool is hand dyed to create a unique and vibrant range of colours. Along the journey they have taught a number of classes and successfully exhibited throughout the Central West.

LET’S TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH
1.30pm & 6pm on Monday, 23rd Octobe at Parkes Library A free talk with Jeremy Godwin author of Mental Illness Sucks! (But It’s Not The End Of The World). Come and hear Cootamundra- based Jeremy Godwin talk about this new book, which is full of practical ways that you or your loved ones can survive and thrive in spite of mental illness. This free talk runs for 45 – 50 minutes and there will be a question and answer session at the end. Signed copies of Jeremy’s new book will be available for purchase on the day. Please book your spot by Friday, 20th October on
6861 2309 or library@parkes.nsw.gov.au.

TRUNDLE POP-UP BOOKCLUB
Book: The Light Between the Oceans. Thursday, 19th October @ 2pm. Join Debbie for Trundle Library’s first ever pop-up book club! Afternoon tea & discussion. Pick up your book from Trundle Library today.

FREE COMPUTER TRAINING
Parkes Shire Library members have FREE access to a simple online training solution for learning how to use popular computer applications including Introductory Computer Training lessons for those just starting to use computers. Training and support sessions are held at Parkes Library during school terms on Thursdays from 9 to 11am. Please call Parkes Library on 6861 2309 to book for a session.

Parkes residents are using the three-bin system effectively by correctly separating waste to reduce landfill. Findings from the waste audit conducted in March indicated a significant decrease in the contamination of recycling and compostables since the introduction of the three-bin system in April last year.

Parkes Shire Council’s Director Planning and Environment, Steven Campbell said: “Contamination of the Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) bin is only 1.1%, while the yellow lid recycling bin recorded a contamination level of just 5%.

“This indicates locals are making concerted efforts to ensure they are correctly disposing of recyclables and organic matter into the correct bins.” While progress has been made in reducing the contamination of the yellow and
green lid bins, Steven said there was still plenty of room for improvement when it comes to the general waste bin.

“Changing to a fortnightly collection has been a huge success, with the red lid bin filled to 80% of capacity on average.” “However, the results showed that contamination of the red lid bin remains very high, with compostable matter making up 53% of the overall composition of the general waste bin, and recyclables totalling 23%.”

Residents are encouraged to be mindful when disposing of food scraps and recyclables as organic matter can be processed into mulch, and recycled material will be processed and manufactured into new products, when separated into the correct bin.

The aim of the audit was to identify opportunities for diversion and to identify where Parkes Shire residents can improve. A total of 220 residences were sampled as part of the audit. The three-bin kerbside collection system was introduced to recover more recyclables and organic material from entering the landfill stream.

To find out what goes in what bin, check out the Parkes Waste Services Guide.